When you are convinced it is the pills making you fat....

Nobody warned me, but when I was on Carbimazole I put on 3 stone! However, when I stopped taking it about 2 years later, I managed to lose all the extra weight easily by alternate day fasting.
I hope you will soon be free from the medication and that your thyroid has returned to normal. Mine stayed normal but sadly my brother has had a recurrence. He is a naturally skinny person so has only gained a few pounds.

I now have a similar battle due to steroid medication but find my willpower sadly lacking this time!

I took propranolol for 15 years for migraine control, and was totally convinced they were making me fat! Stopped taking them just before Christmas, haven’t lost a pound! Just me being greedy then I suppose!

Sara65 I have just been put on Propranolol for anxiety. I am on a high dose and was thinking about trying to wean myself off them. I was told it is dangerous to just stop taking them. Did you wean yourself off? With apologies to Alima for hijacking the thread.

I would suggest looking at the way of eating set out in the How Not to Die book by Dr Michael Greger. It is about "the foods scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease" and contains almost 200 pages of Notes citing the scientific research he draws on at the back of the book. So, it's not some flaky, faddy diet idea.

He advocates eating a "Daily Dozen" to incorporate the food he considers essential to the optimal diet. This blows the current 5 a day out of the water, and means that you are so full and satisfied from all the healthy stuff you have to eat that you have neither room nor inclination for processed junk!

There's a lot of info about it online, and talks by Michael Greger on You Tube. He donates all profits to charity - and interestingly for GransNetters was inspired to go into medicine by the remarkable recovery of his grandmother who had been sent home to die by conventional doctors, in her sixties. She sought treatment from Nathan Pritikin, an early lifestyle medicine pioneer, and lived to be 96.

I have hyperthyroidism and I lost quite a bit of weight. I am a bit underweight anyway, so couldn’t really afford to lose any. I was put on Carbimazole for 18 months, and made up the lost weight (though still a bit below average) as well as improving in general health. I stopped taking it at the end of January and so far my hyperthyroidism hasn’t returned - how long was it before your brother relapsed, shysal? I need another test. I am so hoping I don’t relapse. It was nasty.

Katyk
I wouldn’t advise you come off them without seeking medical advice, I felt quite awful for a couple of weeks, am fine now, but I had been taking them for a long time

Thank you Sara . No I won't just stop taking them. I was just wondering if that's what you did and how you felt. I may ask my GP if I can reduce the dose as time got on.

goes on not got on.

PS I meant to mention in my post up thread that the How Not to Die book is available from libraries, so the information can be accessed without having to make a purchase.

I've just ordered it! Thanks for the suggestion.

Grandma70s, I think my brother's relapse came about a year later. He now has the protruding eye problem associated with an overactive thyroid. I remember as a child seeing this quite often but he is the only person on whom I have seen it recently. He calls himself Marty Feldman - remember him?

Jane10 you're very welcome! I hope you'll find it as informative and helpful as I have.

Thank you, shysal, though it’s rather depressing! I was thinking I was doing quite well, but it’s only three months.

Yes, I remember Marty Feldman. I never had the protruding eye thing, even when my hyperthyroidism was at its worst. I haven’t seen anyone with it, I don’t think.

Here is a link to Happiyogi's doctor/writer's website

nutritionfacts.org/audio/

I've got hypothyroidism and have been on Thyroxine for years. I knew overdosing on it was bad for you but believed I was ok on the daily 150 mg rather than 125mg and 150 mg on alternate days as my weight seemed under control. Then 2 years ago I developed heart problems and blood tests showed I was taking too much so they reduced the dosage to 100mg. That coupled with the beta blockers have resulted in me putting 2 stone on over the last 18 months. I'm so fed up of it and am sure the medication changes are to blame

Gonegirl thanks for putting up the link

I was hyperthyroid for years and on and off carbimazole. I didn’t lose weight, but could eat as much as I wanted without putting it on. I think I was a bit hyperthyroid all the time as I was inclined to forget to take the carbimazole and blood tests always showed me a bit hyper.

I finally had to get thyroid removed as it was very enlarged with nodules. I was put on thyroxine (Eltroxin) and was nervous that I would go hypo and put on weight. However, the dose seems to be correct and though I have put on a little, it’s more like the normal post-menopause increase most women get.

If you have a thyroid problem- hyper or hypo- it’s important to get regular blood tests to check levels. On carbimazole it needs to be checked every month or so, as there can be side effects which show up in blood tests.

Willow, 125-150mg seems a vast amount. I have been upped to 25mg and am piling the weight on. Thank you for your insight shysal. 3 years, I have a long way to go. Heartening to hear that you managed to shift the weight when you came off the pills. I will have to find some willpower before then I think. Good luck with the steroids.

Alima - Willow is talking about thyroxine dose for hypothyroid - actually it’s 125- 150 micrograms, not mg. Carbimazole dose is in mg and the higher the dose, the more it blocks production of your own thyroxine. I assume you’re getting regular blood tests to check if dose is correct. 25 mg is quite high- I used to be on 10 or 20. Usually people are started on a high dose and then reduced. You can ask for a copy of blood test results from doc’s surgery.

Sara65 and KatyK I was prescribed propranolol for a sudden increase in occurrence of migraines. While I was taking it I lacked energy, was breathless, kept falling asleep, had nightmares, was depressed and put on weight. Worst of all I continued to have migraines! I chose to gradually come off them over a couple of months and went back to normal, going to the gym, swimming and walking and of course losing the weight. I have only had a couple of migraines since and not very severe ones at that! I don't really know what to make of it.

Thanks Farmor!

Modern medication can often be a bad deal weight wise. I take the antidepressant Lexapro and l have terrible night cravings for food. Such a shame as l have lost faith in it.

I would love to know has anyone been on a weight neutral antidepressant or does it exist.

Alima drink as much water as you can. That is one thing l do. Take care. Dawn

Being hyperthyroïd keeps you slim even if you eat large portions and the opposite if you are hypothyroïd. Makes sense therefore that if a drug redresses the balance from hyper to normal- your calorie intake has to drop.

But from the risks involved with hyperthyroïdism- I'd say putting a bit of weight on is the least of your worries- but it is hard to adjust to smaller portions and lower calories if you have been able to eat all you want previously because you were hyper.

"Hyperthyroidism can lead to a number of complications:

Heart problems. Some of the most serious complications of hyperthyroidism involve the heart. These include a rapid heart rate, a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation that increases your risk of stroke, and congestive heart failure — a condition in which your heart can't circulate enough blood to meet your body's needs.
Brittle bones. Untreated hyperthyroidism can also lead to weak, brittle bones (osteoporosis). The strength of your bones depends, in part, on the amount of calcium and other minerals they contain. Too much thyroid hormone interferes with your body's ability to incorporate calcium into your bones.
Eye problems. People with Graves' ophthalmopathy develop eye problems, including bulging, red or swollen eyes, sensitivity to light, and blurring or double vision. Untreated, severe eye problems can lead to vision loss.
Red, swollen skin. In rare cases, people with Graves' disease develop Graves' dermopathy. This affects the skin, causing redness and swelling, often on the shins and feet.
Thyrotoxic crisis. Hyperthyroidism also places you at risk of thyrotoxic crisis — a sudden intensification of your symptoms, leading to a fever, a rapid pulse and even delirium. If this occurs, seek immediate medical care.“